February 14th 2021
Causeway Coast
Charity AWARE
Swim Distance Feb 13th 1.22km
THANK YOU FOR CONTINUALLY SHARING AND DONATING. Donations now over the £9800 mark!
AWARE https://aware-ni.org/
Last night was windy, lots of surf and the sky and sea were black. There was snow on the beach. Despite the cold, the conditions were good for getting a kilometer chipped off. Lots of surf, well spaced white water and a steady wind makes it more predictable and the current with me more so than not.
Just because one of many elements isn't ideal, doesn't necessarily mean progress should halt. There are no perfect times, no perfect conditions. It's all in the detail. The detail reveals the windows of opportunity to take action based on experience. The calm mysterious nights are much more trouble.
I have been receiving messages from some people that are really struggling. Some due to the pandemic in particular, some it combined with other things. If you are struggling, know that you are not alone. Some people appear to have come through this pandemic to this point in good shape but what you might not see may tell a different story. You just don't know what is really going on in someone's life. This pandemic is hitting everyone in multiple ways. I recently wrote a children's book but it has been adopted by adults as much as children to be honest. I wrote it before the pandemic but I think its values are more relevant now. The book is called Confident Kris. To be honest the title may be a little misleading, yes it is about confidence but it explains how he structures lots of things in his life so that he is confident. How, he disciplines himself to live a certain way and live his life as best as he can and look after his mother. I'm going to share page 5 of it here and I will post more in my instagram stories over the next few days. .
Please if you are reading these blogs, use what I am doing to stay motivated. Keep active, get outdoors if you can and if you cant, open a window at the very least. The outdoors and exercise are great distractions from the world we are living through at the minute. I found a great resource that I think might be of interest to anyone who for some reason maybe cant get outdoors at the minute. Its called BBC Soundscape and you can listen to all sorts of sounds from the outdoors. Take a listen, it might be of use and or help during these times. https://canvas-story.bbcrewind.co.uk/soundscapesforwellbeing/
Remember to look at yourself and those around you for signs that may be of concern. Here is a link to some of the things to look out for on the AWARE website....
NOTE - I apologise for not publicising when I am swimming as I know there are people who want to come and support me but we just cant risk it with covid and the regulations. I do post quite a lot on instagram so please follow along there, your support is greatly appreciated. It really spurs me on. I have a couple of people who are extremely experienced emergency responders so know that I am well looked after! I live extremely close (seconds away) to the beach but I cannot ask that any of you come down to support from further afield even though I know some of you reading this would like to and I would like to have you there.
Info - I am swimming a total of 100km through the darkness, in the darkest and coldest months of the year off the North Coast of Ireland. My aim...to inspire those who may be struggling in dark times to keep going. I also aim to raise awareness and funds for the depression Charity Aware. We all face dark times in life at some point and it can be extremely overwhelming.
Safety - Please don't think that because I am doing this that you too should do this or something similar. I am very experienced in the sea with knowledge that is only gained through many years of exposure to the sea in all her moods. I have a safety and location system in place including continual contact with people on land every time I swim.
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